"'Not gonna get in trouble' she says..."
"YOU were the one who wanted to come in here!" Starlight hisses. "Let's just go back where we came and-"
SLAM!!!
The door slams shut, leaving very little light for you two.
"A little light, pal?" your voice echoes as you bump into something sturdy.
The unicorn's horn flickers like a cigarette lighter in the pitch black darkness and slightly lighting up the area.
There, you find yourself face-to-face with a timberwolf.
"AGAIN?! WHAT THE HAY?!?!" you two groan, backing away from the monster. Before you could face off against the creature, a trio of cockatrice waddle into the light beside it, forcing you both to shield your vision. Soon, a bugbear buzzes overhead and lands from behind, blocking the exit.
[That ain't good....]
And, why not, since the universe likes to screw you over, let's throw in a few cragadiles, a dragon, a maulwurf, flash bees and a freakin' MANTICORE that completely surround you on all sides.
"So, w-what's the plan?" Glimmy whimpers.
"I-I don't know, you have any ideas?"
"I've got nothing!"
"Wait, I got it. H-How about.....I cry uncontrollably and lose control of my bodily functions?"
"That's your PLAN?!"
"I-It's......more of a warning." you gulp.
The preying beast stalks his way towards you, lifting a paw alongside the other approaching fearsome monsters. Reacting on cartoon logic, you swiftly chop the wolf's nose clean off hollering 'THAT'S MY PURSE!!!', stopping it in its tracks.
"I must say, that was rather RUDE." it responds. "Can some creature turn on the lights, please?"
You and Glim's jaws hit the ground hard as the wooden wolf delicately fashions a little monocle and straightens his nose out. Nearby, an orange dragon rolls his eyes and flies around every corner of the room lighting up a few lanterns with his breath, revealing the area to be a wide and vast mining area of some sort.
"Apologies if we might've startled you, I would've used the same strategy, albeit, less roughly." the timberwolf continues in a sophisticated voice, lifting up your hanging jaws. "Now, I know what you're gonna say-"
"You can TALK?!" you ask.
"HOW can you talk?!" Starlight exclaims.
"Ha, told you they'd wonder that. Carl, pay up."
A salty cockatrice screeches in anger as he tosses two flat stones into the wolf's paw.
"But, where are our manners. The name's Timothy." the polite creature shakes your quivering hand. "The moody dragon in the corner is Ash, that's the cockatrio, Carl, Claire and Cronk, there's Mortar the maulwurf-"
As the wolf continues introductions you fight to make a cohesive sentence under all the confusion.
"I-I....I'm-"
"Anonymous, was it? Miss Glimmer?"
"How did you-"
"Us former champions have heard how you beat Alpha. Bout time, I must say."
"Wait, 'FORMER' champions?"
Mortar coughs up a bunch of newspapers and spits them into your hands. On them are triumphant snapshots for each creature labeled 'Killiseum Champion' from the smallest to the largest creature.
"So you guys used to be big shots?" Starlight asks, looking over the soaked papers.
"I used to be the big shot 'round here." Ash states cockily. "That is until I lost to the twig and got dumped here."
"You're just envious of my skillful intellect." Tim boasts.
"What 'skillful intellect'? If it wasn't for Fang's brain magic, you'd be as dumb as a rock."
"Still, takes more brain than brawn."
"And yet, you're in here too."
".....touché."
"Wait, wait. 'BRAIN magic'?" you interrupt. "So you're telling me that that shrimp actually has magic up his furry sleeves?"
"Surprisingly, his BITE is worse than his bark." the wolf states.
"Well it can't be THAT bad, you can just escape from here. By using each of your abilities, you guys seem capable of busting outta this heck hole with ease."
There, a cragadile frantically crawls pass you towards the door. A few mere inches to freedom and the poor creature is electrocuted into submission.
Tim taps the collar on his neck.
Now that you really look at it, every creature in the mine is equipped with a shock collar. Even all those flash bees clumped up together to drive a pickaxe into the wall have their own tiny neckwear. Far off in the back, you spot Alpha furiously punching the wall with a bulky collar on.
"You too, Alpha?"
"Fang punish Alpha." he grunts, wiping the pebbles from his face. "Disappointed him."
"We've all been put in this dreadful place because of that pint sized tyrant." Timothy growls. "Hunts us down and have us battle in barbaric combat for those beasts' entertainment."
The wolf then picks up a lumpy, bronze ore and savagely gobbles it down. Under all that sophistication still lives a wild side. "Those who aren't so popular are thrown down here, forced to mine for this ghastly metal. It's the only thing to consume here."
"Why is he having you mining it for?"
"For-"
Suddenly, the tall doors in the back of the mine creak open and guard after guard come stomping in. Soon, Timothy scoops you and Star up and carries you towards the resting manticore. "Milton, open!"
The manticore's horrid breath nearly burns your eyebrows as he opens his massive maw.
"No, no, WAIT! You could've just hide us in one of the minecart-"
Despite you and Star's pleas, you're plopped into the creature's large, slimy mouth. Through the gaps in the manticore's sharp teeth, you two spot Fang being carried in by a guard, observing the mines head to paw.
"THERE'S my favorite monsters! How's the mining coming along?"
"G-Going according to plan, sir." Tim stutters.
"Brilliant. I've already wasted enough of my magic keeping you creatures in line. Now I need that ore melted to PERFECTION by nightfall or I'm gonna make a fortune selling RUGS, you feel me?"
No response...
The dog slams the bottom tip of his staff onto the ground, electricuting every creature with their collars. The manticore narrowly tries to keep you hidden.
"YOU FEEL ME?!" the runt hisses.
Every creature whimpers in agreement.
"Great. I'm expecting a TOTAL upgrade with a little help from our star unicorn."
You notice Starlight's eyes widen.
Soon, after the douchey dog and his bodyguards leave the mine, the gentle beast releases you both from hiding.
"That must've been HORRIBLE." Timothy winces. "No offense, Manny."
The manticore shrugs.
"NO dog messes with MY pal." you mutter, bolting it towards the door.
"Anon, wait up!"
"Anon, where are you going?"
"To kill Thanos, what do you THINK I'm gonna do? I'm gonna settle this once and for all."
"You just can't WALK in there and expect to actually WIN!"
"You saying I'm weak?"
"T-That's not what I'm saying, I-"
"Then we're good, let's be awesome."
You turn corner after corner, traveling through the halls of the castle in search of Fang's lair while Glimmy tries and fails to reason with your stubborn ass. Soon, you come across a massive shiny, diamond studded door at the end of the hallway, guarded by little Kibbles.
"Hey, Kibbles." Star greets.
"Hello again, how may I help you two?"
"We've got some business to take care of in there, keeping it in the DMZ, gotta go ASAP, strictly BYOB. Gotta go." you state.
"'BYOB'?" the unicorn ponders.
"W-Wait, I can't let you go in there!" the pup whines, blocking your path. "I'll get in trouble and no treat!"
"Come on, Kibs! What's a shrimp like him gonna do, put you in the Cone of Shame?"
Her eyes widen. "We do not speak of that..."
"Buck it, we're going in."
"NO!"
Kibbles picks up a tall spear five times her size and struggles to keep her balance as she tries to aim the weapon at you. "Fang doesn't want ANY visitors at the moment. You'll have to get through ME first!"
"Kibbles, you're just a kid, I'm not gonna-"
The word 'kid' pops in your head. You turn to Starlight with a small grin. She too gets the idea and clears her throat.
🎵"Go to sleeeeep-"🎵
THUD
Just like that, the pup passes out and falls flat on her face, dropping the spear.
"We.......probably should've caught her."
"No time, pal. Let's go-"
"A-Anon, wait. Let me take care of this."
"W-What, why?"
"T-There must be a reasonable......logical explanation for all this, ya know?"
You give the mare a quizzical look.
"O-Okay, you're right. This doesn't seem right at all."
"Good, now let's go in there, kick some tail, grab Spirit and Wally, head to Twilight's place, have a nice, cold pint and wait for all of this to blow over."
"Wait for what to blow over?"
"Never mind, let's do this."
"Fine, just let me do the talking."
Inside the tall, dark and empty room covered with cringe-inducing self portraits of the egotistical mutt, you notice a spotlight shining upon a metal, cylinder-like podium in the center of the room. At close inspection, atop the stand lies a small stick sized hole in the middle.
"What's all this for?"
"Fang said he uses it to power his staff." Starlight states. "Whatever plans he has for me cannot be good."
"So, what's OUR plan?"
"I don't know. Guess we have to destroy it or someth- AUGH!!!
Suddenly, your pal has been struck down into your arms with a massive bolt of blood red lightning.
"STAR!" you holler.
"A shame. I thought I added enough the first time."
Out from the shadows dramatically emerges Fang, cockily carrying the crackling staff. "Maybe a DOUBLE dose shall do the trick!"
Starlight screams and twitches about in your embrace as the electricity engulfs her body until she abruptly passes out.
"Starlight? STAR! What are you doing to her?!"
"Ensuring that there's no DEAD WEIGHT."
You're suddenly bucked down to the floor where a pissed off Starlight stares you down, eyes glowing red.
"She had quite the willpower to resist annihilating you."
"So YOU'RE the reason why she went all cray cray earlier!"
An intense beam of the enraged mare's magic grazes your hip and creating a gaping hole in the wall.
"Finish the fight." the dog commands maliciously. The red-eyed pony nods and slowly approaches you, horn glowing.
[Crap.]